A Gardeners Forum Forums Gardening Reference Gardening in 2004 Poinsettias

The History of Poinsettias, Care and growing Requirements

http://www.thegardenhelper.com/Poinsettias.htm


Poinsettias in the garden...

http://www.thegardenhelper.com/poinsettiaoutdoors.html

That's a pretty combination!!!!
Weezie

Bill that is such a pretty picture.
I have a question about Poinsettas....Are they poisonous? I heard they were and then I have heard they were not....HELP

Tam

According to the US Army, Poinsettias "When touched, causes irritant dermatitis. If ingested, may cause gastritis."
http://chppm-www.apgea.army.mil/ento/PLANT.HTM#index

I always heard they were bad to touch.....I had some a few years ago in my apartment and I was excited about getting them, and guess what...they died.....I was reading the page you posted on care and I think that it was just to drafty in my apartment.....that's probably why they died....Maybe I'll try my hand at them again this year......

When I was a little girl my grandmother grew the best pointsettia plants. They were all outside, some as tall as 10 feet. She would cut them back each year, and boy would they regrow in tall! To keep the sap from getting on her skin when she went to arrange them, she would put the cut ends in the burner of the gas range. This would seal them off.

jc2weho

I happened to be at Lowes this weekend and they had poinsettias in 4" pots for $.50! The reason they were so cheap was because they were near death. So sad... I might have to go back and attempt to rescue some of them. They were all wilted and losing their leaves. I'm not sure if I can save them, but I'll try!

I saw some poinsettas at a Walmart this past weekend and they had really different flowers on them. They almost resembled a rose. The petals were bunched up and there was a lot of petasl per flower. There were very pretty. I was 2 hours away from home with a couple more stops to make and it was very cold out so I had to pass on them. Now I want to go back and get one!

I saw those same type at Home Depot...can't remember their name right now. But they are very pretty and different looking.

neighbors girl has homework in spanish class on the history of this plant...well I did her homework but she had to look at the files and compose the homework.is over 50 hybrids available.the plant was discovered growing in a crack in the guys greenhouse
legend goes back to christmas eve ages& eons ago a girl pepito had no gift to give the christ child so her cuz had her pick weeds along a road and when she went to present him with the humble gift they bloomed and were called Flores de Noche Bunea_flowers of the Holy Night

I really hope this brings her grade up a noche shes at a 54 right now,but since she chatted with a guy that don't speak english her intrest in class is going up..you see he's cute& she can't understand him unless my hubby is at home so she is studying more
I've seen thses plants grown in corpus christi TX when was going to school there....outdoors....8 ft tall at least.makes those lil ones not look so hot when ya see um huge like that

Bill,
I noticed in the article you have in the Garden Helper about poinsettias outdoors you stated that they love heat, but in the other article just about the history of poinsettias, you said they won't tolerate temps above 80*. Should I just keep my poinsettias inside since we will definitely get above 80* in the summer? I know 80* is warm but we definitely get hotter here in the desert of LA. What do you think would be best? Please

Thanks!!

That is a beautiful picture.

In the midwest we do not have the luxury of these growing outside year around.

One year I tried to save my Christmas poinsetta to have it bloom a second year. I was faithful in following all the directions. Even the part about making sure it had just the right amount of darkness and sunlight by using a paper bag to cover the plant for complete darkness and taking it off for light.

Well it did bloom a second time but the flower and decorative leaves were so small I need a magnifying glass to see them!!!